Railways to finally wash its dirty linen, twice a month

According to the revised specifications issued by the Railway Board, the blankets which are provided to passengers in AC coaches should be clean and free of grease, soap, filling or any other admixture which would give them fictitious mass or firmness. 

The new blankets, each weighing 450 gm, will have 60 per cent wool and 15 per cent nylon. The Railway Board has specified “soft blanket of superior quality” for AC coaches. 

At present, the blankets come in a smaller size, weigh 2.2 kgs and are used for four years. 

“These blankets with revised specifications should be washed preferably twice a month subject to available capacity... In case of capacity constraints, washing should be done at least once a month. Life of the blankets with revised specifications and increased washing frequency is reduced initially 

to two years,” the order read. 

The specifications could be revised after a year, it stated. It also added that with the increase of washing frequency, the pricing of blankets is expected to almost double. The heavy woolen blankets currently in the use cost about Rs 400 and with the change in fabric, new pricing will be decided shortly, said a senior Railway Ministry official. 

The Railways provides around 3.90 lakh blankets daily to AC passengers across its network. Some zones wash them once a fortnight and the others once every two-three months. The Comptroller and Auditor General had last year pulled up the Railways for foisting dirty sheets, pillow cases and blankets on passengers. 

The country’s supreme audit authority, in its report tabled in Parliament, had noted that the national transporter was not adhering to the time schedule fixed for washing and sanitation of linen and blankets used by passengers. 

With the increase of washing frequency, service life of blankets will also be reduced to two years from the existing four years while the pricing is expected to almost double.